2. amps-preamps
  3. 190130-140513

A Better Way to Buy Gear - Help Needed

** this is a Sale-Process question... not a Gear question**

Hi All:

I intend to upgrade my stereo this year and have located an item that I want to purchase. Unfortunately, there is a ‘snag’ -- the seller insists on receiving the money before I get to see the item.

With this introduction, I would greatly appreciate knowing your individual/collective experience and advice.  Perhaps there is a solution!

 

About the Sale-Process:

The seller accepts only cash or PayPal Family & Friends:  He gets the money before I get the item. 

Because I would be without PP Buyer Protection, I would be stuck with any/all repair(s).

 

About the item:

The item is sealed in a box (NOS), so I cannot

    1. determine if it was damaged during shipping (to his house),
    2. power-up the unit and demo/confirm the functions. 
    3. verify the cosmetic appearance of the item
    4. verify that the correct item is in the box!
    5. Condition is advertised = 11/10

The item is big, heavy and expensive.  I have seen a photo of the box, but there is no meaningful information visible in that photo (e.g. company, make, model).

 

Additional information:

The seller lives in another State, a long way from my location.  A visit would involve a flight (or a long drive) and day or two in a hotel.  

The seller has a 95% rating. 

To me, a good rating means that I am willing to engage with a seller, but it does NOT justify sending the money without verifying the item’s existence/condition.

 

My question:

Because I am not inclined to send cash up-front, is there a better way forward for this ‘money-before-gear’ type of sale?

 

Thanks in advance for your replies, and happy listening!

inagroove
bjesien
1,299 posts
 

Tell the seller to go pound sand. His customer service sucks.

Admin
Audiogon Official

@inagroove  What is the listing id?  

 

biglou13
37 posts
 

 He isn't selling the cure for cancer . 

inagroove OP
106 posts
 

 

After my last Update: 

  1. The seller changed the item’s color from silver to black in the listing. 

(… yet another cause for concern).

  1. I requested the item’s serial number and name of the dealer from whom he purchased the item.  I seller provided both.  I contacted the dealer, and he confirmed that he bought the unit in Feb 2024.  Next, I contacted the manufacturer, who confirmed, via the serial number, item was sold to that dealer and that the item was sold in Feb 2024. 

(… I am now comfortable that the seller has the item, but what shape is it in?  What color is it – silver or black?)

 

Next Step:

I knew that sending cash and F&F are inappropriate, so I asked the dealer to broker the purchase using my VISA card.  He agreed, but only if the transaction was in-person.

              (…I am beginning to wonder if I should just go fishing 😊)

 

On the Road Again:

I decided to spend two days on-the-road to see the item in person. 

The item was now back at the dealer’s residence - still sealed.  We opened the boxes, and it was… Black.  >> I bought the item, spent the night in a hotel, then drove home. 

Oh yea, the item in question is a preamp.  I will write a prologue to let you know if the unit is working, or not, and my thoughts after the break-in period passes. 

 

Thanks to everyone for their input.  I hope that aspiring sellers get the nearly-unanimous message – PP Friends and Family is a deal-killer for expensive (self-defined) items.

Special thanks to:

NTPC4 - “Find someone in this community who is local to the seller and would do you the favor of inspecting the gear.”  (Great, constructive outside-the-box thinking – really appreciate the suggestion.  Hopefully others in the AG community will use this idea in the future)

Coltrane1 - Offer to purchase and you pay the PayPal fee. (It is great to know what the ‘standard practice’ has been, and that it worked)

For their sound ideas addressing the original question: “is there a better way forward… “

 

Best Regards,

 

 

inagroove OP
106 posts
 

P.S. - the 'white-out in the last section is a e-glitch...

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